1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION:
This invention relates to an apparatus for providing an endless succession of compartmented trays to receive pouches or the like to be processed.
2. DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART:
In recent years the industry relating to sterilization of products has discovered that products may be placed in air and light impermeable pouches and sealed and sterilized within the pouches without the need to resort to the use of cans or other such containers. In providing these pouches to the sterilization equipment, many methods have been devised including manual stacking onto trays, clamping, putting in slots, and other such devices to move the pouches. To date, no one has provided a stackable tray which is compartmented and can be placed end on end to provide an endless succession of compartments while receiving the pouches, whereupon the trays are then stacked and placed in the sterilization equipment and thereafter returned to the depositing equipment in as endless succession of compartments. This invention satisfies the need for such a device.